Lichen Planus Buccal Mucosa

Macro image of a typical lesion on the buccal mucosa seen in Lichen Planus. Lichen Planus is an inflammatory, pruritic disease of the mucous membranes, which can be either generalized or localized. It is characterized by distinctive purplish, flat-topped papules. The lesions may be discrete or coalesce to form plaques. Histologically, there is a "saw-tooth" pattern of epidermal hyperplasia and vacuolar alteration of the basal layer of the epidermis along with an intense upper dermal inflammatory infiltrate composed predominantly of T-cells.